The First Steps to the Rest of My Life
by ilovemyflute1
Summary: This story is when Ike and Hype get back from Santa Fe to visit her brother, she was planning a wedding. Anyways, Hype got engaged to Ike at Sarah's wedding. Now, her brother is back where he belongs. Happily ever after right? Wrong, Hype struggles with balancing her life: her first baby, selling papes and spending time with Ike, can she do it? Her friends all hope she can.
1. Chapter 1: Baby Talk

_Finally,_ I think. _Maybe I can lay my head down and get some sleep tonight. _My thoughts were broken when Star started talking to me.

"You only have three months before you give birth, aren't you excited?" she asks. I blink. She has to snap me back to reality.

"Hype! Hype! Hype!" she screams louder each time.

"I am sorry, I was lost in thought." I say, "I was thinking about Sarah, in a way, I am kinda like her, having a baby before my wedding."

"Of course," Star says. "I can see that." I laugh.

"How many papes do we have left?" I ask.

"Thirty," she replied.

"Give me twenty, I'll sell them fast." I say. I head down to one of my friends at the harbor. He buys four of my papes. He asks me about my baby. I strolled down to the wife of one of my best customers. She buys five, asking about the baby names.

"If it's a boy, Stefanzo, if it's a girl, Lucy. As you can see, Ike and I are somewhat unusual." I say. I smile as she wishes me well. I got to the office of the Harbor, the manager saw my ring.

"Not already," he said.

"No, not yet, but I am expecting in almost three months." I say.

"Oh my!" he exclaims. He reminds me of Mr. Sebastian, my carriage driver when I went to Santa Fe to see my brother. The thought of it makes me smile. My servant friends at the mansion write often. I write occasionally; not to be mean, but they know what I am going through. Sarah told them.

"Nine papes please," he says.

"Nine," I exclaim "that's four more than you usually get."

"You almost have a baby," he says. I smile. He asks me the names.

"If it's a boy, Stefanzo, if it's a girl, Lucy. As you can see, Ike and I are somewhat unusual." I say. He smiles at me.

"Good Luck." He says and sends me on my way. One man came up to me and asked me for two papes.

"One penny please," I say, he pays me and walks toward his pole. _Men need something to do while they fish_, thought. I met up with Star by our usual cafe, newly built.

"You look like you may pass out; I hope the weather doesn't affect you." She says. We make our way to my house; Ike is there, rearranging the furniture with the help of Kid blink. His partner was sick today, so secretly he took the day off. Ike comes over and kisses me.

"Hey baby, how it was?" he asks.

"Star and I made around twelve dollars." I gave her seven because of her being so fast while I am taking it slow. I hold out my five dollars, Ike puts it in a safe place. He immediately comes back and starts talking to my stomach. Kid blink is having a small flirt session with Star. She blushes a lot. She just told me how Kid blink and she are going to dinner later. I smile; I knew Kid Blink had a thing for her. How could you not? Have you seen the way he looks at her? It makes me smile. It also makes me aware that my wedding is in five months, two months after the baby is due. My brother hired a wedding planner for me. He is coming to Manhattan again to see me get married; my family is coming from Tennessee too. Ike's parents are coming in from the Bronx.

In a few hours, all of my happiness is melted away, leaving puddles of tears and cries of pain, but it makes me happy, I go tell Ike I was going to take a nap, and he should wake me early tomorrow, I want to beat the heat of the middle of the day. Ike kindly makes aware of the time. Kid Blink and Star just went to dinner at the café he told me. I didn't hear him, I was already fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Boys vs Girls

I moan as Ike tries to pull me out of the bed for dinner, but that's okay with me, I need to eat. He finally gives up and feeds me in bed. He sits next to me under the warm covers. He surprisingly made soup with the fish he caught at the harbor. I remember when I had fish soup at my brother's; the saltiness reminded of my tears. Ike's soup wasn't salty, it was perfect. When I wake up Star was sitting on the couch. She already got the papes.

"Fifty," she says. I nod timidly. _If I make it that long _I think. I turn around and see a note from Ike.

_Can you believe it? Your brother paid for a doctor. Dr. Lawrence is going to tell us if the baby is a boy or girl. Winner kisses the looser. I should be home before the doctor comes. I am coming by three, be sure to sell your papes by them. You probably know I will be at the harbor too. I will try to find you at your regular places. See you there._

_~ Ike_

I look down at my stomach, forgetting Star was there. _Boy or girl, _I think. _I really hope it's my Lucy. _Star and I start for the harbor, our first stop, the office. I told the fish-buyer my good news. He is on my side.

"Let's hope its little Lucy." He smiles. "Nine papers, please."

Once outside of the building, Star and I split up the rest. She makes sure I can harry my half. At noon, we are to meet up at the new café. I go to my usual customers first. The morning creeps by as I make my way to the café, Star shows up five minutes later.

"How many papes do you have left? I have two." She says.

"Great, I have one," I say smiling "Forty-seven down, three to go." I look like im gonna pass out. Earlier, I almost vomited.

"Did you see Ike," I ask

"Nope, haven't found him." She replies. I then see Ike on the dock, just done casting his line, he smiles at me. Star is off to sell the rest of the papers to the staff in the café. Star and I run out of the café to see Ike. He kisses me and starts talking to my stomach. Star sees Kid Blink and dismisses herself. Ike looks at his pocket watch.

"Two o'clock" he smiles. I tell Star we will be at the house. Ike tucks me into bed as we hear knocking on the door. As Ike opens the door, he sees a young, handsome man. He spoke with a semi-deep tone.

"Hello, I am Dr. Lawrence," he sees me. Ike lets him enter. I can't really tell what he does because I am half asleep. I hear Ike pacing outside, after a few hours, he comes back. The doctor speaks again.

"I believe your baby will be born prematurely. But, I am really happy to tell you your baby is going to be a girl."

I squeal, _I'm going to get my Lucy_, I thought. I look at Ike, you could tell he was upset because he wanted Stefanzo, but happy I got my Lucy. The doctor dismisses himself, saying he will be at the hotel my brother is staying at. He tells Ike to get him when the baby comes.

"We promise" I say. Dr. Lawrence smiles,

"I am really happy you got your Lucy" he said.


	3. Chapter 3: Going Through the Motions

**Two months later: I feel like im dying, I started vomiting. I think Lucy is coming. **

"Ugh, Star, I think I am about to die." I say. _I have to sit down_, I think.

"Well, the doctor did say the baby would come pre-maturely." Star said.

"I wish I would have died when I had the chance." I say.

"Don't say that, Lucy is gonna be worth it." Star says, "And besides, your wedding is almost here too. Only three months." _If I live that long,_ I think, Star makes a face that almost makes me smile.

"Anyways, we only have to sell three more papes; can you do the pregnancy trick?" She asks.

"Trick" I say, offended. There is a sharp tone that takes her aback. I immediately feel awful. _Don't take it offensively, you're just going through the motions,_ I think.

"Sorry, wrong choice of words" she says quietly. She mumbled something I don't hear, probably because she's afraid I'll explode again.

"No, I am sorry, just going through the motions." I say.

"It's fine" she says. I think she is about to cry, I've already exploded five times today, we have only been out here for three hours. I now feel awful I hurt her, I've hurt Ike too, but I think they have an idea of what im going through. When Star and I finally get home, Ike is there so is Kid Blink. As always, Star excuses herself. I go to the bedroom and Ike comes in.

"Star said you were really moody today" he says calmly, he leans his body against the door frame.

"I know'" I burst into tears, Ike comes over and puts his arm around me, this only makes me cry harder.

"She says she's gonna sell the last three, here is your money you earned for today." He says, handing me my cash.

"Tell her good luck and I am sorry" I say, taking the coins. "I think Lucy is coming soon." I say. He still smiles grimly when I say her name. He really wanted Stephanzo to come first.

"Stephanzo can come after we are married." I say. This makes him smile. _If we don't have another girl, _I think. _This makes me worried if I get pregnant again, I don't care how much it will hurt, Ike will get his baby boy. _

"I don't ever want you to be in so much pain after one thing. Take it one step at a time." He says.

"I promise" I say, he kisses me

"I will tell her you are sorry," he says, he exits the bedroom whistling. I hear the door slam a minute later.

"Women," Blink says sarcastically, "Do not make them pregnant," he jokes. This only makes me cry harder. _Did he mean for me to hear that? _I think. I look down at my stomach, Lucy seems like she is trying to kick as hard as she can. _She is plotting to kill me,_ I think, my first smile for today. Too bad no one saw it.


	4. Chapter 4: One Little Girl's Birthday

**The time has come, Ike got over the fact that Lucy came first. Will I be able to give birth smoothly?**

"You can do it, I know you can" Ike coaxes me. He is holding my hand, but I am squeezing the sweat out of it. _As if that's going to get rid of the pain, I am so thankful Dr. Lawrence was at his hotel at this time,_ I think. I can hear the silence in the living room. Star and Kid blink were the first to arrive when they found out Lucy was coming today, Then Sketch and Davey, Butta Fingas and Mike, Smalls and Twig, and finally, my brother and Sarah. _I was the only one making noise,_ I thought, _I need to be quiet. How can I?_ I question myself. The girls wanted to come in during the birthing, but I didn't have the heart to say no. Ike looked into my eyes, and he knew what I thought. He is very good at persuading. I know he was thinking about Stefanzo, I can see it in his eyes. . _But the future is so far _I think. I told him what I knew.

"I am so sorry, but you love me anyway, it's like nothing in life that I've ever known." He says. _Yup, that's my husband, sweet in my most desperate times._ I think. Thinking required work, but I was so determined to have Lucy at the end of the day. _Good thing Star didn't buy any papes today,_ I thought. I push harder every time I feel a jolt of pain. This only makes me feel worse, but I know the reward.

Ike then speaks to me, he is determined as I am. "Forget the fear it's just a crutch that tries to hold you back and turn your dreams to dust. All you need to do is just trust me that everything will be okay."

"I promise," I say as I give one of the hardest pushes so far.

"I hear a baby," he says.

"I do to," I say as I give another push. I breathe a sigh of relief when the doctor said the baby was almost out and the pain would soon be over.

"This is what I get for trusting you," I say. He smiles sheepishly.

"Are you ready to finish this?" he asks.

"Yes, I want to see my little Lucy." I say, determined. I give another hard push as I hear screaming, and know it's Lucy. Ike quickly puts down the date and time.

"One o'clock in the afternoon, February, twenty second, eighteen ninety- nine," He beamed. The doctor said if the baby had been due when it should have, the date would most likely be April eighteenth.

The rest of the birthing is done pretty quickly. Dr. Lawrence snaps the cord, puts Lucy in my arms and tells me what special things she needs. Ike and I smile through all of this. We thank the doctor as he heads out. All of our friends see her for the first time. Kid Blink was speechless, he never said a joke that I was meant to hear ever again after Ike heard me crying hard that day. Star was so happy she didn't have to work today. _I am so happy for you_, I thought in a joking matter. We also had a baby shower, right in the very room. Star and the girls pooled their money every day from selling papes to buy Ike and me a carriage and a fancy ribbon for when we go to the harbor when none of us were working. Kid Blink and Davey got baby clothes, Twig brought a card. Sarah and my brother gave us seventy-five dollars.

"For Lucy," says Sarah, "and also because you were there when I gave birth." She smiles.

After Lucy came, the rest of the day was kind of boring. The Dr. said I'd have to stay in bed for at least three days. Butta Fingas and Sketch helped me into a chair I the bedroom as Ike changed the sheets. That I was glad for., I smile at my friends, knowing that whatever I am going through, they will stay close by me.


	5. Chapter 5: Wedding Plans

"Let's talk weddings." Says Madame Bisset, my wedding planner my brother had sent. Obviously she was from Europe. She had a thick accent, way different from a New York one; she often criticized me when I used slang. Ike had to step in and correct me. _So much for being a newsie,_ I thought. _So this is how the world sees us. _But I do admit I felt bad, she was probably planning the most vulgar wedding of her career. _And yet, Sam wanted me to plan his wedding, kinda makes me wish it was the other way around._ I think.

"Let's talk sleep" I say. I had Lucy two weeks ago and felt like I needed a lot of sleep, on the bright side, Star sells my papes for me, I just pay for them, then in the afternoon, when gives me my money, if needed, I give her a little more to buy the next day's headline and because she is my friend.

"Let's talk about Lucy and Stefanzo." Ike chimes in, "never mind, not right now, can you tell me how to change Lucy's Diaper again." I dragged myself over to Lucy and kissed her forehead. I messily changed her diaper and sat back down. _My wedding just has to be less than two months away? Thanks Sam,_ I think. Right now, may hurt more than the time Ike and I were finished playing jack rabbits at the hotel when we were coming home from Santa Fe. Most likely, we will do the same thing after our wedding. And if Ike wants any other kids, but he says all he wants is Lucy and Stefanzo. I made him promise, he did.

"First off, your dress, I believe it should complement your favorite place. Where is that?" she asks, her voice somewhat shrill to keep me from falling asleep.

"The harbor "I mumbled.

"What" she asked again. Tired of her taunting, I sat up straight and cleared my voice.

"The harbor, I love the sunset that comes at dusk. That is where Ike and I had our first date." I say. This takes her aback.

"So your fiancé can talk" she whispers to Ike, he told her about the birth of Lucy two weeks ago. As if she hadn't known already. Has she heard the screaming baby in the background? "Anyways, I was thinking your dress, of course being white, tinted a baby blue. We will have vibrant colored flowers."

"We could even have it at the harbor" I chimed in, "Of course I'd have to talk to the authorities, but I think they will let me do it."

"No, your brother wants this wedding to be formal." She says. I looked at Ike, rocking Lucy. Formal was not a Newsies thing, but I guess we will have to suck it up, we may even enjoy it. He winked at me as if to say, at least your brother is paying for it. I smiled. After a few hours, the wedding planner finally left and Star came along. She wasn't really thrilled when it looked like I passed out on the bed. Ike kisses me awake like usual and I see Star. _Just let me sleep, please_, I thought.

"I made almost ten dollars, here is your five." She says cheerfully, she knows the two weeks have been pain city for me.

"No, it's okay, I only want four dollars" I say. I give her two dollars for tomorrow." She accepts the offer and goes over to Lucy's cradle. She starts singing to her. Lucy then falls asleep, I thank her so much, Ike offers to walk her back to the lodging house, and she politely declined. Last night I was lucky to get a full night of sleep, but I had to wake to screams of my little Lucy. So, to get Lucy to sleep, we just have to sing to her. No big deal for us.

As Madame Bisset came over again, I took two seconds of her time to sing to Lucy, she fell asleep instantly. I slid into a chair as she pulled out some drawings for my dress. She mumbles over each one before I can say anything. I had to stop her on one of them.

"I like this one" I say.

"You can't be silly," she says. She finally found the one she was looking for,

"I do like it." I say, she points out the features: made with silk; designer; will last a long time. I have to admit I agreed with her. Ike was at the harbor today, because he knew we would talk about the dress. Madame Bisset said she would order it, and then tailor it to my figure. We then talked about the food and decorations. The menu would consist of lobster or shrimp, greens and fresh fruit that will kick off the spring season of eighteen ninety-nine. I thanked her for coming. _Now, we just have to make sure we carry out our plan_, I thought. I woke up Lucy to find she needed her diaper changed again. I did it perfectly, and then went to bed. Ike returned three hours later, kissed me awake and made sure I had something to eat before I fell asleep. Star came by again, and gave me my share. I gave her two dollars again. Ike sung to Lucy tonight, I may have fallen asleep to his voice before Lucy did.


	6. Chapter 6: My Perfect Wedding

My mind is going crazy as I realize in two days, I will walk down the aisle. I began doubting myself again. Madame Bisset came to make a list of bridesmaids. Yesterday, I got fitted for my dress; it was only ten dollars, not bad. _Because my brother paid for it_, I smirked. Star came over yesterday, before we made our rounds at the harbor. I am so happy I get to sell papes again, but Ike has to keep Lucy, I sometimes see them at the harbor. So far, this is what I came up with: Star is my maid of honor, because she is the only friend of mine that hasn't been married. Sketch, Butta Fingas and Smalls are my bridesmaids. Ike's groomsmen are, of course, Mike, Davey, Sam, Twig, even Kid Blink. Lucy is my flower girl, though a little old, Les is my ring bearer. Ike' parents and my family are coming. I really hoped my parents would be with me, but of course, they are dead. Sam, Sarah and Serenity are coming, so is Dr. Lawrence. _I am so happy my wedding will be in two days, but still I am scared out of my wits._ I treat Star to come over and see my dress. Butta Fingas and Sketch haven't seen it yet. They will see it the day after tomorrow. I told Ike I wanted our wedding to be on Dad's birthday, April 26, he agreed, but was unsure if I would be mourning.

"There is a time for everything," I say. He nods. He was home when Madame Bisset came. I told Davey to hide my dress, but not to let Sketch see it. _I want it to be a surprise,_ I thought. I know they will love it; the dress is so me, not too many layers, tinted baby blue with a matching veil, embroidered with sea shells. Tomorrow none of my friends will sell papes. We are too excited, Star, Sketch, Smalls and Butta Fingas went dress shopping for the wedding. I didn't tell them what my dressed looked like, just something blue. They were just like me, I couldn't see their dresses. Davey secretly brought my dress to the house when Ike was at the harbor with Lucy and Sketch was shopping. I hid it in Lucy's closet, tonight I will sing to her. I remembered a song my mom sang to me to keep me happy.

Two days come in no time, in the morning Ike kisses me awake, soon Star and the rest of my friends get our hair done, get our nails painted and picked out shoes. This time we didn't complain like we did in Santa Fe. We laughed the morning away, trying on dozens of shoes. Six o'clock comes and I see my family, I want to run out and see them, like I did in Santa Fe, except I felt scared of them. I am so excited when I see Mary, the servant girl in the front row. In an hour, the music starts and my friends line up to walk the aisle. I know that soon Ike will forever change my life, like he hasn't already done that. I was so happy I got permission from Sam to have it on the beach. I was surprised when I saw Garret, my cousin; he is kind of a wild card when it comes to showing up at special events. The saltiness of the water reminded me of tears I didn't let fall when we said our vows.

Our reception was more of a food fight than a reception, I tried to shove cake into Ike's mouth when he wasn't looking, and he did the same. Ike's parents didn't approve, but it was our night. It was perfect. The night was officially over when I had my last dance with my brother, because he acted like my dad too, it was special. I will never forget what Sam did for me. I will forever be thankful.


	7. Chapter 7: First Times

I wake up to Ike snoring underneath the covers. He is officially my husband; he is mine, forever. Today is the day we take Lucy to Sketch and Davey's home for our honeymoon. Sam even let us use the carriage we rode in on our way back to Santa Fe. Sketch and Davey were about to leave, so Davey put Lucy's stuff down and they took Lucy to the harbor. We thanked them and we said we will be back in a week. We usually spent the mornings at the beach part of the harbor, near the Statue of Liberty too. Then we have lunch in a new city every day. Finally, Ike takes me to the harbor, rows us out in his boat so we can watch the sunset; he kisses me a lot, _Rinse, repeat I thought. It was Heaven at its finest. Since our first date, Ike has become incredibly flirtatious, I like it. If only he didn't touch me every chance he got_. It makes me mad, but I don't tell him. _He wants Stefanzo, and he will do whatever it takes to get him; kinda how I was dying to have Lucy in my arms._ We only ran into a handful of Newsies that week, but it wasn't our Newsies, they were Queen's Newsies, but there were so many similarities. But we were Newsies; they wore plaids and flannels, work boots and made me smile. As all things have to come to an end, we finally crawled into bed after a long week. Ike didn't let me sleep that week. On the last night on our honeymoon, we did something special. Because of it, we were supposed to have Lucy after we got married, but Ike wanted it and I wanted my Lucy. I got her, but I didn't know it would feel like walking on shards of glass sometimes found at the harbor.

Before bed, we started talking about Stefanzo, Ike really wants him. _I don't care how much it will hurt, Ike will get his baby boy,_ I thought. My mind wandered over to Lucy.

"I miss my baby girl" I say. I say it fast because im afraid I'll cry. Ike can see tears forming in my eyes, we stop talking about Lucy.

"Hold on a little longer." He says.

"I don't know if I can" I say, I put my head on his shoulder. He pats me gently, it makes me cry. We somehow fell asleep in the night. When I wake up, I felt awful again, not terribly awful, but just lonely. Ike could tell as soon as I woke up. We finally got our things and trudged to the carriage. Ike said that we should be in Manhattan in no time, so I could fall asleep if I wanted too, he I right. I wake up again, I happily knocked on the door, and Sketch and Lucy were eating lunch. As I knock on the door, I can see Lucy's eyes light up.

"Mama?" she whispers.

"Hi darling," I say. She said her first word; I think she's smiles at me. Now, I am fully awake when I get back to the carriage. Ike starts singing for the first time in a week.

"Wake up to the morning light, wipe away the lonely nights. Let a brand new day wash over you, I wanna see you smile again; show some love to your crazy friends. Wipe your tears away those days are through." It makes me smile. He's so right. I love my friends more than anything, it's kinda impossible to not show them love, but over the past year, I was so moody. I thought about the way Ike said it. At first, I didn't hear anything but his voice, smooth and controlled, I was going to rock Lucy, but she was already fast asleep. Ike kissed Ike for the first time today, He blushed, hard.


	8. Chapter 8: A Shining Star

Time really flies when you're at the harbor. Star was really bouncy today, I think Blink kissed her. I would know. I asked her about what happened. Just like she would ask me about everything Ike would do. She blushed as she told me about the other night.

"It was romantic" she started out. She turned redder as she told me her tale.

"We made out kinda like Sketch and Davey did, meeting each other up on the rooftop. Except we wake up earlier, we don't go up at night." She says. I nod and smile, remembering all my precious moments with Ike. The boat rides, the kisses, and all the times he'd call me "baby". It always made me smile, he was my sunshine. I did like the rain sometimes, but I hated it too, when we sold papes during a thunderstorm. That's a good time to fly down to City Hall, or any train station. I zoned out and she knew, I think, of course she did, she knew I was thinking about Ike. She continued when she realized I was paying a bit more attention, soon, a broad shouldered man bought six papes from us.

"Three pennies, please" I He nods; gives Star the coins and hurried away. We head out to our best customers and will return soon. We go to our best customers and sell them six each. They smile gracefully as I say I have my Lucy and may be expecting again, maybe a boy. They all smiled and wished me well. Star and I met up an hour later, we have no papes left and it was already noon. Star then tells me also about her dinner Blink treated her too.

"It was a fancy one, fresh catfish, vegetables and fruit." she says. She couldn't be more thrilled.  
" I think he may ask em out again tonight" she says. She is in love; she can't stop thinking about Blink. Everyone knows it; all of the newsies know it. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if Oscar Delancy would know about it.

"He also took me out and we road in a boat, like what Ike did with you." She smiled. I am not sure why, but it kinda made me mad. _Having boat rides was our thing._ I thought. _Jealousy, you have come right on time. _I didn't show it though, she continued on talking about her date. _It must have lasted for hours_, I think. She finally comes to an end as I look like I was going to pass out. It was already May, and very hot outside. _Make sure to adjust quickly to the temperature,_ I think. We see Ike and Lucy at the dock, Star and I take off running, I almost pulled him into the water, but I couldn't, he was holding my Lucy. He hugged and kissed me. This time it was different, the kiss was like a promise he would keep forever. I liked it a lot, he started to pull away, but I held the grip a little longer, forgetting Star was there. _How could I forget my friend who told me about her amazing date all day?_ I thought. I told Star this when we walked to my home.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." She says. If only I could.


	9. Chapter 9: Whiskey and a Bit of Trash

For the end of the week, Ike and I treated our friends to dinner on the harbor. We already had many different kinds of fish before, so we decided we were all going to try something new, sushi. At first, it was a dare, but we secretly did what to try it. So, the guys had it too.

"If Spot were here, well, this would just be awkward." Davey said. Tonight, I think we made to many sushi and harbor related jokes. The sushi, rice and small bits of salmon rolled up in sea weed turned out to be very appetizing. We had several each. We also had our regular harbor related meals. We were offered a small amount of whiskey.

"Any amount of whiskey can get Newsies drunk. We get drunk off of life." I said, glad the waiter didn't hear.

"I just hope we don't trip over any trash bags on the way home." Says Sketch, Butta Fingas was silently laughing, Star couldn't keep still. I was smiling like crazy. Smalls didn't see what was so funny about it. The boys gave us blank stares.

"You are only cool if you trip over bags of trash" Butta Fingas said. They were still confused.

"Never mind." I said. "We are serious." Twenty seconds later, we started laughing again. Five confused boys didn't know what to say, so they kept on drinking.

"Yup, they will defiantly fall over bags of trash." I whispered, we giggled out of control.

We ate quickly and by the end of the hour, we were all pretty full. Still, we ordered more sushi to take home. Sketch told Star to save it for herself or when she gets back to the lodging house, or to just eat it on her way.

"Let's just hope it goes in your mouth only." Davey joked. _Weirdo,_ I thought. It made me smile, even though it started drizzling outside. The wind danced through the raindrops.

"I am so happy I have my sunshine," I whispered to Ike. He kissed me when the others weren't looking. It was Heaven on Earth, and he knows it.

"Look!" yelled Butta Fingas. "The sunset looks so pretty." We all look out the window, brilliant shades of pink and blue spread out over the water, while the rain was falling. _It looks just like the one when Ike first took me in his boat to the water, just no rain. _I think. _I will never forget the memory. _We all finish eating quickly to find that the beautiful sunset was ready to say good bye. We were greeted with a dark kiss from the night. The moon was shining as bright as ever. All of the sudden, our friends came running out as a lightning bolt illuminated the clouds for a split second. It then started pouring. We all laughed, we walked to the restaurant, and we will have to walk home.

"I bet I can go home without getting my back wet," said Ike.

"How?" questioned Mike. I looked at Ike, with the same question in my eyes and I knew.

"Let's run, I have a baby to put to sleep" I yelled. He laughed.

"Okay, but I think Race took good care of her." He said.

"Race?" I nearly screamed. The Newsies made a booing noise, Race, is not a good person I trust to watch my baby. He always has a cigar, yea, he also somewhat high every day.

"I'm kidding! No, I got Albert to babysit, because, you know, he was your old selling partner and I thought you trusted him." He says.

"I do, and thank you" I said, I kissed him in the rain. "Bye guys!" I yelled.

"Ready" Ike asked as I hopped on his back. He started running in the rain. We hear laughter behind us from our friends, but it didn't matter. Ike was my goofy husband, I love my life.


	10. Chapter 10: New Ways

I wake up to Ike's snoring and Lucy's crying. _I can fix both,_ I think. I first slap Ike until he stops, then I go into Lucy's room. I pick her up and rock her in my arms. I give her bottle; it doesn't change how many tears come out of her eyes. _How could I be so stupid?_ I think. I finally come to my senses and change her diaper. _I'd be crying too, _I think as I dress her up again in her tiny pajamas and kiss her forehead.

"My poor baby, it's okay, I changed you." I whispered.

"Mama?" she asks.

"It's me baby. I will never let the Delanceys do anything to you. I promise" I say. I put her back in her cradle and rock her as she falls asleep again. I need my sleep too. The Newsies are planning to increase our circulation again. Star will come by with I think close to seventy papes. We must start early. I think as I drift off to sleep. A few hours later, Ike starts snoring again. I easily fix it, but this time I may have flicked him in the eye because I vaguely hear him moan ouch, it made me smile in my sleep.

"Hype, come on! This is the week were gonna improve our circulation. The headline is no longer about the trolley strike!" Star says. I read it groggily. _The fish will like this, _I think.

"Let's bring Lucy with us, maybe she can help us sell." I say. Star agrees as she gets her stroller.

"Here you go Lucy." I say.

"Mama" she says. Star gasped, it was the first time she heard Lucy talk. We made our way to harbor. On our way, we sell ten. At the office, I show the manager little Lucy.

"Well hello Lucy," he says. She looks Blankley at him.

"So she doesn't talk?" he asks.

"She only knows one word, mama" I say. "Like this."

"Lucy, I say. Who am I?" I ask.

She smiles broadly "Mama"

"That's so cute. Hey, it is supposed to be really warm later, um, this is a shot in the dark, but can always use them later, thirty papes please."

"Here you are. Have a nice day." I say.

"Bye Lucy" he calls out. She smiles.

"Nice!" Star says, "You sure know a lot of people that come to the harbor." I smile.

"Hey, you're the loud one," I laugh.

"Oh stop it" she replies.

"How many papes do we have left after you went to sell on the dock?" I ask.

"Um..." she mumbles as she counts them. "Ten" she says. I look for a clock, it was almost three thirty.

"Let's get a move on." I say. I push Lucy to the end; she likes holding the papers. I'm fine with it, as long as she doesn't drool on them. Star wanted to go back to the Lodging house. I agreed.

"Let's stop for a second." I said. "Okay Lucy, the sun is now somewhat behind you. You have been patient; let's let you out for a bit. Star can you put the papes in the carriage?" I ask.

"Sure." She said.

"My baby feels so hot. "I say as I bounce her up and down gently." I say.

"Mama" Lucy screams, she smiles apparently screaming is her new thing. A woman must have over heard Star and I talking because she told me I had a wonderful baby, and she wanted four papes for her husband. A man later came by and paid for the last six.

"We did it!" I yelled "We sold seventy papes! I am so happy" I put Lucy back and hugged Star. Today, we made seventy cents, so we each made thirty-five cents. We were so proud.


	11. Chapter 11: Words

Today is the day that Star is coming over to teach Lucy about more new words.

"By the end of today, she is gonna know the words _dada, trash, hungry, papes and fall_." She says. "But first she needs to learn the sounds each letters make." She says as she writes each letter on a page of a notebook she brought over. She wrote in big, bold letters, each a different color. She was almost finished when Sketch came in, she looked delirious.

"I need you to watch Evan while Davey is out and I am asleep, Davey will pick him up after he sells the rest of his papes. "She says, she goes to our bedroom and falls asleep. I close the door for her sake. She looks like Davey snored last night in his drunken sleep. I'll ask her about it later. I sat my baby girl on the ground when Star opened up to the first letter "A." She wrote it both capitalized and lowercased also in the color red, she drew one thing that started with it. Lucy looked as clueless as Race when he doesn't have his cigar. I hear Star trying to let Lucy make a connection, but all she wanted to say was mama.

"How about we go to the "D" page, so she can say dada," I say. "I mean she already knows how to say mama."

"Lucy," said Star, "this is the letter "D" when you say mama, you can say dada too." Lucy then vaguely mumbled what sounded like dada.

"Can you say it again?" I ask.

"Dada" she says again. Ike then walks in.

"Why, yes I am dada." He says. He kisses me and comes to join us for Lucy to start learning words. In no time, we sounded out all of the letters in the book. Lucy mumbled them, but she really loves the letter "L", maybe because it's the first letter to her name. I leave Star with Lucy so she can work on the rest of the words. I go to the bedroom to wake up Sketch.

"Davey was so loud last night." She says. "I think he had more whiskey when we finished more papes." I let her lay there.

"You are changing the sheets." I say. "I was supposed to today, but I didn't want to and now, it's your turn." I turn and smile. When I get back, Lucy has already mumbles the words mama, dada, fall and trash. Today, she learned her last word, hunger, _because it will be very helpful when I know she is hungry and wont cry about it. _I think. Star will come over again tomorrow, after papes, we will learn five more words. I put Lucy down for the night and walk over to Ike. He made five dollars today.

"Not bad." I say. "But I could have done better than that by selling papes." I smile.

"Oh is that a challenge?" he asks. He pulls me close and kisses me for a while. _Pure bliss_, I thought. It made me smile.


	12. Chapter 12: Pure Bliss

I wake up to see Lucy asleep, Star comes over and we make our rounds, as usual, we sell ten the office manager at the harbor; twenty to my normal customer on the dock; Six to the people that work at the café. Star also has her customers, another twenty or so. We end up selling over fifty papes, today, not bad. _I did better_, I hear Ike kid.

"What did you all talk about last night?" Star gushed; she really wants to know my business.

"The birds and the bees," I say. She winks and nudges me. I look at her.

"You are disgusting." I laughing, "Hey, look, Its Ike and Kid Blink."

We saw them on the harbor today when we sold our last pape. Kid Blink was flirting with Star. Ike was so happy we brought Lucy to sell papes. We brought Lucy in her carriage. Star also taught Lucy a few words while we stopped. She learned pape, dime and her name. She mumbles the words quietly, but they are somewhat recognizable as words. Star wanted her to learn the word whiskey.

"Hello?" I say. "She is almost two. Don't teach her the word whiskey."

"Fine," Star grimaced. "Let's try again-"she started

"In sixteen years." I say. "I don't want her running around screaming whiskey. She could get caught in an alleyway or with the Delanceys. I told her I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I promised."

"I know, I thought it would be funny if she just knew the word." Star said laughing.

"Whatever" I say. We meet Ike and we show him what Lucy learned today. He was impressed. He took me off while Star was with Blink. I think they were talking about another date.

"About Stefanzo," He whispers.

"Let's try next time in bed." I say smiling.

He starts laughing "You think I work magic."

I blush, "You do, I'm always tired afterwards, and it's always miserable and magical in the best way"

"Ah, Lucy." Star blushes as she comes over "That is called fluff." She smiles "Cute little gestures by mama and dada."

"Mama" Lucy mumbles, "Dada" she smiles as Ike picks her up.

"Dada" she squeaks. She is so adorable when she says stuff. I say good night to Star and Kid Blink; walk home with Ike and Lucy. He pulls me in close and kisses me, pure bliss. I kiss Lucy on the forehead. My poor baby in the heat of the day, she's probably really tired. Before bed, I make her mumble each word she knows. Mama, Dada, and more, I lay her down for the night, kiss her and Ike follows me into the bedroom and locks the door. Like I said pure bliss.


	13. Chapter 13: Lesson from Friends

Today was a new day, it was the day that Sketch and I switched selling partners. She got Star and I got Butta Fingas. Soon, Butta Fingas came over to the house before we left; I quickly put Lucy in her carriage.

"I got a new skirt" she says as I glance upward.

"Looks like you have done some shopping." I say. She looks beautiful; she has her hair braided and wore a white and yellow floral skirt with a shirt to match. "You look Stunning" I say. I wore a red skirt with a red polka dot top. With the carriage full of papes and Lucy, we were ready as we locked the door.

"One hundred" she says, "We can sell them easily." I agree. After we go to the harbor, we start for the dock.

"Why can't the girls wear pants?" I ask, clearly clueless.

"Because it's the rules," She says. "It's just the way we live life."

"Yea," I say, and I kind of have to agree. I remember Sarah's words I always hated. _We are to be like flowers, to bring beauty to the world_.

"Why do we curl our hair?" she asks. "See, it's kind of the same question." She says as I sell two papes to a fisherman.

"We do it because it looks cute" I protest. _Ugh, we really are like flowers,_ I think. _I hate it so much. _We get home from selling our papes as I put Lucy down for a nap; she has been through a lot today. Butta Fingas thought it would be a good thing if Lucy knew her name. _That was fun, _I think. Lucy now knows all of our names, even Oscar's. That evening, Sketch and Davey came over for dinner. Ike was so happy when he found out he was feeding her. Soon, baby spit in peaches cover them both as I started laughing. I finally put her down for the night as Davey started getting out the wine glasses.

"Let's make sure he doesn't fall into the trashcan," I whispered to Sketch. She giggles in reply. We all know Davey has a small problem with wine, that's why he likes going to dinner with other people. We joked about it all night. Before he took another swig, he said he didn't have a problem.

Ike put his hand on Davey's shoulder. "Dave," he breathed, "Yeah you do have a problem."

"Fine," he said. You could tell he wanted to get really drunk. He sulked as he took the next few swigs of wine. He started calling Sketch a 'gorgeous Manhattan gal' we all laughed when he said this with his fake southern accent.

"Whelp, looks like someone had too much wine" Sketch said. In an instant, we heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen. Of course, Davey fell into the trash can. In the living room, we all pulled out chairs and started talking about the circulation. For some reason, we all heard crying too, but still we carried on with our conversation. I turned white as I mumbled her name, Lucy. In a flash, Davey, Sketch and Ike followed me into her room.

"I am sorry," said Davey," my fall must have really scarred her."

"It's fine," I said, taking every ounce of my strength not to yell at him. I quickly rocked Lucy and sang a lullaby I remembered ages ago. I lay her back in her crib after I changed her diaper.

"Well, aren't you a good mother?" Ike said he hugged me; a flush of warmth filled my cheeks. I quietly motioned for them to come back into the living room. We sat down again, oddly more stiff than before. _This feels right,_ I think. Not daring to look closer into the conversation. It grew easy as conversation flowed through us. Sketch recently had Evan, in which Star was looking after. The clock then struck ten as Davey said they had to leave for the night. Star was my selling partner for tomorrow. Ike put the chairs up as I cleaned up the kitchen.

Later, we sat quietly in bed, thinking about the future. I started laughing when Ike said something funny to break the silence. I had a hair on my lip as I was laughing; Ike gently brushed the curl behind my ear. He leaned in closer, and our lips met. His hand touched my neck then down my back. My hand cupped his face while another rest on his shoulder. I was now in his arms, perfectly. For some reason, I had the impulse to move; I laid my head down on his just and let out a sigh.

"What's going on behind those big brown eyes?" Ike asked. I flirtatiously batted my eyelashes.

"Just remembering to take life day by day, I've learned it's more enjoyable that way." I say, happy with my answer. The clock strikes midnight.

"Goodnight," I say.

"Goodnight" he says. He clicks off the light, but into ready to go to sleep. Still thinking about that kiss, it made me smile.


	14. Chapter 14: Fluffy Little Ducks

Paste

I lay awake to the scent of fresh bread in the kitchen. Now, Ike isn't that much of a cook, so this is something special. I swing myself over the side of the bed and lazily get ready to seize the day. I say good morning wearily and pour coffee for the both of us. Promptly at eight, Star comes over with two large armfuls of papes.

"Sixty," she says as she enters. I nod, we can sell them easily. In a flash, I awake Lucy and put her in her carriage as I kiss Ike goodbye. We normally sell to our regular customers on days when rain comes about. Soaked head to toe, we end up salvaging the papes in the carriage, we have four left. Outside the bar, Lucy and I stay outside while Star sells them inside. As we are approaching the bar, we hear the piano, obviously Mike. Though outside, when Star opened the door, the aroma of whiskey almost over took me in less than five minutes, Star comes out. I thank her; Morris came over and tried his luck.

"Sass action?" Star asked.

"Yup, I say." I make me laugh somehow but she is serious about it.

"It is really easy to sell to drunken people" she says. I laughed harder. In a few minutes, we run into Sketch and Butta Fingas. We go to the harbor and I see Ike; asking him to watch Lucy for a bit. He agreed, he thought it would be fun to have quality time with his daughter. We walk to the nearest café and had lunch.

"You say Mike," Butta Fingas asked, surprised. I nod.

"Well, it is his passion." I say, Star agrees with me, so does Sketch. In an hour, we are all on the streets again. Sketch and Butta Fingas sell the rest of their papes on the dock. _Great day,_ I think. I got back Lucy; she was being a bit fussy, too much for Ike. I gladly take back my baby. Star and I walk to the lodging house. I push open the door and hear Race screaming his head off.

"Where is my cigar?" he asks. His presence seems to dominate the room. He is so loud when he is high, so he may be high all the time.

"I didn't take it" calls Snipeshooter "why do you always blame me?"

"Because you are to blame" Race answers. _It's good to be at the lodging house with Lucy_, I think. She starts crying, but I make her calm real quick.

"Race," calls out Les. "You left your cigar on the table at lunch"

He runs over toward where Les is. "Thanks little buddy" he says. He pats him on the head. He glares at Snipeshooter while he passes.

"Awww, look at the baby," Says Romeo, he strokes her hair gently. Specs walks by with a duck look on his face.

"Lucy," I say calmly. "Who is that?" I point to a guy with his body against the frame.

"Mush," she mumbles. It's sounded more like "push" but it was close enough. Hennery and Buttons come closer to me when Lucy babbles their names.

"Can't she talk any better?" snickers Hennery.

"She is almost two," I snap.

"Geez Hype, I meant no harm," He says.

"Sure you did" exaggerated Buttons. Star was talking to Blink. He bought her a fancy hair bow for ten cents. Suprizingly, it matched her skirt.

"He loves her" I whisper to Lucy. A new newsie named Popper came by.

"Pretty," he breathed. My guess is that he never talked to a baby in his life, it made me smile.

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	15. Chapter 15: Passion Problems

***Sorry for the language***

It's pretty simple: a Newsies' main passion is to sell papes. Still, we have others, Mike loves playing piano, Sketch loves drawing, hence her name and Star loves making other people shine when they are feeling down. Butta Fingas loves to read and Davey, well, he likes to drink. Mike's job is playing the piano down at the local bar, I heard it pays well. Ike's passion is swimming in the harbor. _Just add water,_ I smile. He loves that place just as much as I do. In the afternoons, we like to go down to the bar and hear Mike play. Sometimes he sees us and plays songs that make Butta Fingas melt inside. That's hard to do.

Well, we are all newsies so I guess we all have a soft spot. I blame Les, the smallest newsie, but it wasn't his fault. Davey won't let anything happen to him, but sometimes that responsibility slips when he is drunk. Race can be so high, it has to be his passion we all have things we love, and sometimes we think of it as our escape. Selling papes can be hard, especially when the headline has been the same during the winter. But that is a really good time for Davey to get drunk. Everyone knows that. A few minutes ago, Davey came up to me at the harbor and gave me a note Sketch left. It had a drawing of them at the harbor on one side. It says:

_Davey, I'm not happy with you. You have a problem with drinking, and quite frankly I'm getting tired of it. It is embarrassing to have to walk home with you drunk, and laughing at have a wife and a kid to care for. Think about it. _

_Love, Sketch_

_ P.S. I'm out selling with Butta Fingas, I have Evan with me". _I read it again; Davey destroys my train of thought. I hold Lucy as Star pins him against the wall of my apartment.

"What the f*** did I do?" he asks, clearly clueless. _He is still drunk_ I thought. Of course he is, time can go by slowly.

"Look, we have all been patient with you, but this needs to stop." She says with a shrill voice, it's my turn to talk after a while. Star loosens her grip.

"If you don't stop, you will die and Sketch needs help with Evan. She isn't as strong as you think, but she damn isn't weak either." I say. "Come over later with Sketch and bring Evan. It's about time to realize what you really have Or else, you are drinking your f***ing money away." Star throws him the other way. He turns around to face Sketch and Butta Fingas, in fear, he passes out.

"Baby" Sketch says. Davey awakes from his drunken sleep an hour later.

"Come back to my house when you are sober." I say. "Wash out your mouth too."

"How about you?" he asks accusingly.

"At least I can handle a drink." I say. This makes him mad. He tries to punch me, but it seems Star thought of everything. She brought the Delancys'. Davey flips out and starts dropping the f*** on me. I think he called me a jack a**. It didn't bother me, he wasn't coming back for a long time.

"He better," Sketch says. "We will be here tonight" she pushes him down to their apartment. She isn't mad, she is clearly pissed. She storms off while Butta Fingas is carrying Evan. She tries to calm Sketch after what had happened.

"Give us Evan, they are coming back tonight." I say.

"Besides, Davey needs his baby, he isn't going to get him when he is drunk." Butta Fingas agrees and quickly gives me Evan. Star and I walk inside.

"Thanks Oscar, Thanks Morris." I say, I slip them a few dollars. We will send for you if we need too. You guys are only here to scare him, but if he wants to push us to our limits, we are ready." I say. The tip their hats and walk toward the street.

"That Davey is a f***ing b****" Oscar mutters. He kicks a rock in the direction he left. _Ugh, this will be the worst night of my life,_ I think as I put Lucy down. I thank Star so much. She is coming later too, she promised, and she knows where the Delancys will be tonight if they aren't playing in the alleyway.

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	16. Chapter 16: Drinking Support

*Sorry for the language...*

I pace to and from the apartment, _we have to fix Davey's drinking problem,_ I think.

"Ike, hide all of the liquor that makes your throat burn, those are Davey's favorite" I say with a sharp tone in my voice. He nods and obeys; Ike and I both want to get this day over. Ike heard about what happened earlier. Davey hurt me, he hurt Sketch. He hurt everyone. The doorbell rings and my heart stops, but it is only Star, following her is the Delancy brothers._ I love you Star, _I think. Star directs them to chairs already set up. The rest of our friends come, but Sketch and Davey come last. Davey has his hands tied up behind him, so he can't fight. He looks guilty, _Sketch looks pissed_ think. We all sit down awkwardly. Just then, Evan cries out from the other room.

"Evan," Davey screams and he runs to the voice. Star quickly signals Morris to block the nursery door.

I get up and walk words him. "You are not going to see your baby until you are sober." Sketch says. "Only Hype and I are allowed in that room." I nod at her words.

"F***" he mutters under his breath. Sketch punches him in the arm. _How many times Sketch has beaten him?_ I thought. Pressing on, we all sat down again. The first hour was just trying to admit he has a drinking problem. We failed.

"I smell liquor," Davey says. He gets up and runs through all the cabinets in the kitchen. Now, its Oscar's turn to block Davey, he gets really mad and almost punches Oscar in the jaw. _He got high off of something before he came,_ I thought

For the rest of the night, the Delancys' held him down. Davey sulks in his chair, and still behind him. Sketch wants to talk to him alone, we all fizzle out and go into the kitchen. Star and I go to the nursery. Morris comes with us. Ike leads Sketch and Davey to the bedroom. Both babies are fussy when I change them.

"Mama," Lucy whispers. She giggles a lot, awaking Evan.

"I'm here," I reply gently. I kiss her forehead as I put her down for the night. Star and I exit the room quietly. I hear yelling from the bedroom and glance at the clock, it read nine-thirty. I groan out loud as I hear more yelling.

"We are not selling tomorrow," I say.

"Not until Davey can be sober for long amounts of time," adds Butta Fingas.

"I'll tell Sketch and Davey," I say. Evan starts crying, I have to change him again. This time, Morris comes; he has never seen Lucy up close until now. He throws up at the smell Evan produced.

"How can you do this?" he asks.

"I'm a mom; it's my job to do this." I say smiling, not even bothered by the smell.

"You f***ing fruit swapper," I hear Sketch yell. I know why, Davey got her a banana. She is allergic to bananas. We quietly exit the nursery and head back to the kitchen, seconds later, Sketch and Davey comes out of the bedroom. Davey looks like he has been crying. All of the girls walk into the nursery.

"We have to talk this out," says Butta Fingas.

"At least he isn't being violent," I laugh. "He is out there with the Delancys"

We instantly hear Davey scream. "What the f*** did I do?"

We instantly run out of the nursery and see Davey in a headlock by Oscar.

"What's going on?" I ask. I have my arms crossed; Sketch and Butta Fingas come out behind me. Sketch is rocking Evan. He hands him to Star, who puts him back.

"I did nothing," Davey said "This B*** attacked me"

"Lazy b****," Oscar says. "Davey wanted to get the liquor and Morris 'distracted' him from it."

"Baby," whines Davey. I messed up and I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"No." says Sketch. "Not until you handle your drinking problem. We all have been so patient; we are kind of surprised Hype didn't throw you over the Brooklyn Bridge."

I nodded, "I bet I can do it without being drunk." Davey is mad. He tries to punch me but misses.

"Look at that! Mike works in a bar every day and he doesn't even though the whiskey." I say.

"You f***ing B****" he screams at me.

"You can say anything you want, it won't hurt." I say. "You can say it to the Delancys too." Davey reminds me of a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. Screaming and fighting. Star and I walk into the nursery to get Evan and Lucy.

"It's not their fault, its Davey's "I say. I announce that we are taking the kids out for a walk, _they shouldn't have to deal with this,_ I think. We end up staying out for thirty minutes. When we get back, Davey is worse than ever. I suddenly had an idea. I whispered it to Sketch, she nods mischievously. I tell the Delancys my plan, they approve. I go to the cabinet where the whiskey is. Davey's eyes light up, he thinks he is going to get the liquor that he won. The Delancys' hold him still while he sees the liquor Davey smiles broadly, he really thinks he has won. That he is going to get to drink all he wants. Clearly, he isn't expecting the next thing. I set the bottle on the kitchen table and pour a glass. I hand it to Davey; he reaches for it but doesn't receive it. I drop the glass inches in front of him and smirk. Glass shards and liquor splash on the carpet. Davey swears like a fiend. He tries to get up, but the Delancys hold him down hard. He knows this is a battle he can't win. I take another shot glass and fill it. I drop it in front of him again. He knows this is for his own good.

"How does this help him?" Star asks.

I smile, "It just makes him pissed." I let go of another glass filled with liquor and it breaks as if frozen in time. Butta Fingas gasps, not expecting a third glass to drop. Davey is now used to the wine glasses shattering, I turn the bottle so he can see the label, Davey winces.

"Alright," I say. "I am done." I take a swig from the bottle. Davey struggles less as the Delancys' tighten their grip.

"Yum," I say. Davey really wants to get out of his chair. Oscar and Morris hold him back.

"It's late," I say. "Let him go." Oscar and Morris groan. "Wait" I say. I take another drink form the bottle and drop it.

"Now," I say. In an instant, Davey is on the floor, trying to drink the rest of the liquid up.

"I am so sick of this." yells Sketch. She picks him up by his collar and makes him stand. Evan cries out from the nursery.

"Give me Evan" he screams at me.

"I would rather give you wine" I say. He flops down on the ground and licks the floor, trying to get the rest of the whiskey. Sketch pulls him up again and leads him out the door, leaving Evan with me. It reminds me of a naughty toddler being dragged home. It makes me laugh Star goes to tend Evan and Lucy.

"Sketch," I call out, "Sleep in tonight, and then come back." She nods. The rest of my friends volunteer to pick up the glass and wipe the liquor off the floor. Ike takes me into the bedroom as our friends leave.

"You are just as bad as Davey," he says.

"I know, I understand." I say, clearly I look high, Ike must know this. He sighs and puts his hands on his face. He tosses his hands through his hair.

"Let's just go to bed; and sort this out in the morning." Ike says.

I nod as I click off the light a light. Ike goes to change the babies before bed. Before he comes in, I have already fallen asleep in my drunkenness.


	17. Chapter 17: Being Sorry

I awake in the morning to the sound of knocking on the door. Ike answers it while I quickly put on a blue outfit and brush my hair. Tensions are really high between Davey and me, mostly from last night._ He probably doesn't even remember it. _I think. _He was so drunk. _Davey stands stiffly in the room. I approach and he says the words I thought I would never hear.

"I am incredibly sorry from last night. The liquor just got the best of me." Davey said.

He knew Sketch spent the night somewhere else. Ike goes to the nursery, where Sketchy spent the night. She promised to change the diapers in the night, she is now hiding in the nursery closet, and I can feel it. Soon, I know she awakes and hears Davey's voice; she scrambles to hide. Davey hit her against a wall last night. She was scared to death, she came over with tears in her eyes and I reached out. She had nowhere else to go.

"I do admit to be sorry to slamming the liquor in front of you," I say, "and having the sass action against you."

"Hey," he says. "It is fine, I really am sorry I cussed you out yesterday." He says. Clearly remembering what had happened the night before. I know I would never forget.

"It was my fault," I say, I knew his feelings were real. He would have never used such a gentle tone. For once this week, he understands there is more to life than being drunk. There were so many good things in life; Sketch and Evan, selling papes.

"Anyways," he said "I would really like to see my baby and talk to Sketch." I wince, he knows she is here.

"Okay, fine, she is in the nursery" I say, feeling guilty. Ike and I lead him into the nursery. I find Sketch hiding in the closet. She sees Davey and cries. Davey comes over, not looking at Evan. He takes Sketch by the hands and looks into her eyes.

"Baby," he says, "I am really sorry I hurt you. You know that you are more important to me than whiskey, you are my entire world."

"I'm not so sure anymore," she says, glancing down to avoid his gaze. Davy is on his knees now, probably knowing Sketch won't trust him as much as before

"Sketch, I love you enough to never lie to you." He says. Sketch looks at me, now. _She wants us to leave_, I thought. Soon enough, Ike and I leave the nursery with Lucy. I have to feed her anyways; I listen to their conversation outside the nursery.

"I keep trying to lose the words you said to Hype. Yes, I am mad about that, but you keep trying to get inside my head. Can't you see i'm hanging by a thread? I'm losing you to whiskey" she whines. "I am so tired of turning and running away when you get drunk, love isn't always safe. " She walks out to where I am holding Lucy. Ike goes to talk to Davey, somewhat, we listen to their conversation.

"I may have lost her" Davey said. "I feel really bad." He looks at Evan, he giggles.

"You didn't lose her, you lost her trust. Takes years to build and seconds to break" Ike says. "Hype always tells me that love isn't everything you want, but it's everything you need, it's not always happy endings, but life isn't a total heartbreak either." Davey groans because he knows I was right. _Yea,_ I think, _because Sam knew it would be hard for me to leave for Santa Fe._

"Well, that's life Davey." Ike says. He leaves the nursery and Sketch and I scramble to Lucy's side. Sketch changes her today. Butta Fingas then comes over to take Davey home. They wait for her, but she doesn't come. Butta Fingas goes to talk to her in the bedroom, Davey waits on the stairs. I slump on the couch and Ike comes over. He is on his knees and kisses my neck.

"Are you still somewhat drunk?" he asks.

"Nah," I say. "I'm fine; just don't let me touch the whiskey." I laugh. "I am sorry I really didn't help last night."

"Its fine, you thought it would help, but you were delirious." He laughed. I got up and hugged him, he smelt of the salty harbor water, _he knows how much I love the harbor, that's a good thing too, I_ think. I smile as I think of Sketch passing out from a banana.


	18. Chapter 18: Secrets

"I can't believe you Hype," Ike nearly yells.

"I didn't know!" I whisper angrily.

"It doesn't matter anyhow." Ike says. "We don't even know the one hundred percent truth."

"I am just scarred of the outcome." I say, Ike has me near tears. He knows this as he tries to calm me. He touches my face softly; and he gracefully pushes a curl behind my ear. He looks into my eyes as we don't talk, our eyes say it all.

"Then let's not tell them" Ike whispers in the dark.

"I know, but I am just scared they will find out" I say. "They have their ways; we can't hide the secret for long now, who knows how much time we have left."

"You do know we can't tell Lucy either, she might say something, she can already mumble a bunch of words" Ike says.

"Yes, I know, and it kills me, she is my baby." I wince.

"Oh well, it's just one secret and she's young. What do we have to lose?" Ike asks

"Everything, my friends' hate it when I keep secrets from them and don't say it's only a secret, there was an action before it." I say. Ike touches my face, feeling tears, he knows I can't stand this conversation, but we have to have it sometime, then we both know that soon we have to tell Lucy.

"I think Sketch is hiding something too." Ike says, trying to calm me down. "Every person has secrets."

"I know that, Ike, I am just really scarred about how they will react. What if we don't get what we want? I can control stuff, but I can't determine if a baby will be born successfully." I say. Ike grimaces, his smile is lost in the darkness. I know he can see my tears in the moonlight.

"As the newsies say, just seize the day." Ike jokes. This makes me stop crying and I smile. He kisses me unexpectedly in the darkness.

"Oh gosh, I forgot that Sketch invited us to ply truth or dare." I say.

"Oh well, it's a good time to confess." Ike says. I groan somewhat loudly. After a while of just looking at the moon, still Ike's eyes light up. After what seems like forever I open my mouth.

"I am freezing, how will we sneak back down?" I say.

"Want to jump?" Ike asks, I look down, it's not too far, and yea it is.

"Um, no, if you hadn't noticed we are on the roof off the lodging house. We were lucky Sketch and Davey aren't here. They sometimes like to come too, even though they have to walk." I whispered.

"Well then." Ike says, very slyly, he picks me off bridal style, this is kind of rare, and jumps off the roof. In no time, we are on the ground. Ike got knocked out and I scream quietly.

"Oh my gosh!" I say. I landed on him, obviously, and quickly get up. "Are you okay?"

"I am coming around," Ike says. He gets up, picks me up again bridal style and carries me home.


	19. Chapter 19:Misunderstandings

Last night was fun as we played truth or dare. Ike and I were so happy we didn't have to spill about my secret. You know, about the possible miscarriage. Even Lucy has some fun while Sketch tried to braid her hair. I talked to Ike about it, and Star brought Blink. For half the time, Lucy played with Evan; she was using words when she needed something. The game lasted for hours; it was so funny; we were all sprawled out on the floor while Sketch brings over small mountains of cookies. Mike had to do his best snort and Davey had to impersonate Jack, being a cowboy. I had to admit five things why I loved Ike. Fun, sweet, crazy and a lot more, Lucy made Davey tell us how he started his drinking problem. Ike and I sat uncomfortably as Lucy might earn something.

It was close to three as we all faded out. Lucy and Evan were passed out.

"Gosh, how do you do this?" Ike asks. "This is impossible"

"What?" I ask.

"Staying up!" he smiles. "Did you have any whiskey? I mean, come on."

"I can stay up when I want to," I say laughing. Ike puts Lucy in her crib, he sighs because he knows we will probably have another baby and he will have to make Lucy a bigger bed.

"Hype," Ike says quietly.

"No, I know, I was being delirious and I was drinking too much and." Ike cut me off.

"Hey, baby" he says. "It is fine, seriously, no one got hurt"

I start to cry, "What if it's a miscarriage? What then, especially if it was a boy. I told you that you would get him, no matter how much pain I have to go through."

"No, you got Lucy, and that's all that matters." He says. I cross my arms.

"I promised—"I started.

"Well, it's okay if it doesn't happen" he says.

"You will get your child" I said, determined. "You are not going to convince me otherwise."

"Fine," he smiles grimly. We sit under the warm bed covers as he holds my hand. I lean my head on his chest. He has the smell of saltiness mixed with wine. We took shots last night when Davey wasn't looking. It's not like it was a mistake, we were cloud nine. _We have to tell everyone, but we have to be sure,_ I think. The next day, I send for Dr. Lawrence. Ike came in from the harbor right as Dr. Lawrence leaves. Speechless, Ike comes into the room and sees me crying. He sits beside me and drapes his arm around me. Something about it just made me cry harder, Soon, I've soaked through his shirt with my tears; he takes it off and sits beside me again.

"Hey baby." He says gently. "Are you okay?"

"No," I say, remember the past three hours of my life.

"So what did the doctor say," Ike asked. I sit and cry for a few minutes, letting it all out.

"Um, well, Dr. Lawrence was sure the baby was going to be a boy and um," I cried "he is dead," I pause.

"The liquor killed him, I am so sorry, I know how much you wanted him." I cry. We sit in silence, listening to my weeping.

"At least we don't have to tell everyone you're pregnant." Ike says," Just like you wanted." This only makes me cry harder. Never the less, I still have to deliver a baby.

"I don't understand it has only been like four months." I say, I stopped crying, but it feels like I never will.

"What are we going to do?" I ask. Ike is uncertain, he goes for a long walk and when he comes back, I'm asleep. _At least I still have my little Lucy,_ I think. This only makes me cry harder.


	20. Chapter 20:Celebrration of Life

The nine months quickly draw to a close, my friends know now. Ike talks about the future less and less. He loves Lucy more than ever, _this just shows how much I drink_, I think, _this could have easily been avoided._ We called Dr. Lawrence and he delivered the baby, Ike named him Stefanzo. Sketch and Davey brought their respects, so did the rest of my friends. _If I knew it would hurt this much, I would have never done it. _I think. Dr. Lawrence places Stefanzo in my arms. Ike gets on his knees and pulls out a small coffin from under the bed. Seconds later, he pulls out a headstone.

"I," he starts. "I thought that we could treat this like a loss in the family, rather than a mistake of being delirious."

I gently place Stefanzo in the box. Dr. Lawrence says he will come to the funeral to pay his respects.

"What are we going to do, Ike?" I ask. "I don't want to live anymore."

"No, don't say that, we will get through this together, I promise. Lucy was with Star today. I bring my friends to a hill that overlooks the harbor. It was a short service; Mike played the piano as we all paid our respects. _I've got to live with the choices I made and I can't live with myself today,_ I thought.

"Hey," Ike says. "This isn't a funeral; it's a celebration of life, not Stefano's, but ours. It's not your fault." Dr. Lawrence comes as he said he would, to pay his respects. Everyone adorned the grave with flowers. We didn't do much for the service, we just all had something's we had to say. The preacher man said let us bow our heads and pray, after that, the service was over. Ike and I was the last to leave.

"I will never forget you Stefanzo," I say. I left a dozen roses on his grave. I'm in the grass on my knees; I wiped the brisk fall leaves away. I know I'd do it all different if I had the chance. _Now that it's over,_ I think, _I just want to hold him. _

"I was counting on forever, now I'll never know. I can't even breathe" I mumble. _This can't be happening, this is just a dream._ I thought, _but that was a lie. It did happen,_ I helps me up as he talks to his dead son. He is trembling while I stand behind him. _We still have Lucy,_ I thought, _and now Ike's wrapped around her little finger, she's the center of his whole world, and his heart belongs to that little girl._


End file.
